Westminster Proves It Belongs in WCLA's Top Flight

Westminster's Chelsea Farrell is averaging six points per
fame for the 14th-ranked Griffins, who host No. 5 BYU on Wednesday
and No. 1 Colorado State on Friday.

Chelsea Farrell and the Westminster women's lacrosse team are
about to find out just how far they've come.

Westminster (7-1, 1-0 RMWLL) moved up to US Lacrosse Women's
Collegiate Lacrosse Associates (WCLA) Division I this year after
playing the first four years of the program's existence at the
Division II club level.

The 14th-ranked Griffins will host fifth-ranked Brigham Young on
Wednesday and undefeated No. 1 Colorado State on Friday in two key
Rocky Mountain Women's Lacrosse League showdowns. Westminster has
never beaten cross-state rival BYU.

"We have to come out with some confidence," Farrell said. "In
the past we've been fearful playing teams like BYU because we've
seen them do so well."

Farrell was the 2012 Lacrosse Magazine WCLA Division II
Preseason Player of the year. The senior attacker has continued to
put up impressive numbers in WCLA Division I play this year. In
stats calculated through the Griffins' first seven games, Farrell
led the team with 42 points (27 goals, 15 assists).

Westminster posted an impressive win March 17 against No. 16
Colorado. Its only loss at the club level this season was on Feb.
15 to No. 10 Minnesota in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Griffins
narrowly lost to NCAA Division II Colorado Mesa on March 2.

"We knew going into the end of last year that we'd be moving up
to Division I, so we've been working hard. We have a small roster
but all the girls have been taking the challenge," Westminster
coach Niki Harding said. "Their passing is better, they make smart
decision and they know that they can play against these teams."

The team has focused on not wasting shot opportunities and
playing a sharper game this season, according to Harding and
Farrell.

"It's not just about balls in the back of the net. It's really
about possession, draw control, ground balls and those things in
Division II that didn't seem to be as big of an influence," Farrell
said. "Now that we've seen how critical all of those things can be,
in practice, things have changed. We're spreading it out a lot
further, keeping the ball really hot, keeping movement going."

In preparation for BYU and Colorado State, Harding is focusing
on making sure her players aren't caught flat-footed off the draw
and are able to slow down opponents' fast-break transition offense.
Westminster will focus on bypassing the first shot opportunity and
instead making a few extra passes and taking smarter shots, Harding
said.

"It all comes down to composure for us," senior attacker Kaicee
Beal said. "Player to player, we have just as good girls as BYU and
CSU, but in the past we have come out and we've been really
frantic. We've been nervous and we've thrown the ball away and made
bad decisions."

Beal twice tore her right ACL, in the beginning of her sophomore
and junior years. She said she's pleased to be back on the field
contributing, albeit in more of a setup role due to her injuries.
The BYU game will be exactly one year after her second ACL surgery.
Beal said she still isn't 100 percent physically. She plans to have
surgery to repair a torn labrum in her hip after the season.

"Kaicee was telling me that when she came here as a freshman,
her goal was to beat BYU one year, and this is her last chance,"
Harding said. "She's a great role model. Last year when she tore
her ACL again, the team was devastated by it, but she kept up her
attitude and was able to help them deal with it."

Win or lose, Westminster won't have much time off to prepare for
unanimous No. 1 Colorado State. After that, the Griffins close out
the season with non-conference play heading into the RMWLL
conference tournament.

"Any team is beatable at this point. Lacrosse is one of those
games where that does happen. CSU should not take us lightly,"
Farrell said. "We're definitely capable of giving them a run for
their money."